Moawia Mohammed Ali Elhassan, Associate Professor at University of Gezira, Consultant of Clinical and Radiation Oncology at Universal Hospital Sudan, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“PLATO ACT5 Trial Results: Dose Escalation in Advanced Anal SCC
The PLATO ACT5 trial results recently shared at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) GI Symposium 2026, provide critical evidence regarding dose-escalated IMRT in advanced anal squamous cell carcinoma (T3/4 or N+ disease)
This RCT compared standard-dose IMRT (53.2Gy) against two higher doses (58.8Gy and 61.6Gy) with concurrent chemotherapy (82% Capecitabine; 18% 5FU).
Dose escalation did not improve 6-month complete clinical response rates, which remained consistent across all arms (65–67%).
G3 or more toxicity was balanced across cohorts (56–58%), and patient-reported QOL returned to baseline by 6 months.
Since higher doses do not improve early outcomes or change the toxicity profile, future efforts must focus on stage stratification and novel biological approaches to personalize anal SCC treatment.”
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